13. Edson Barboza

stek.org

Strength: Kickboxing

Edson Barboza has become one of the most well-rounded athletes in the lightweight division. He has often utilized his range and speed to catch opponents off guard and finish them, evident by his legendary wheel-kick knockout of Terry Etim at UFC 142.

For Barboza, this sort of success can only be attributed to his kickboxing. With long legs, crisp kicks and outstanding flexibility, the Brazilian has become one of the most unpredictable aggressors in the division's striking department.

Weakness: Experience

As impressive as Barboza has been through his first five UFC fights, he just hasn't fought the best of the best.

At 26 years of age, there's certainly time to fix that. But after getting overwhelmed by a veteran like Jamie Varner in his last fight, losing by TKO in the first round, it may take Barboza more time to mature than initially expected.

12. Melvin Guillard

joelauzon.com

Strength: KO Power

Melvin "The Young Assassin" Guillard is undoubtedly the most powerful lightweight in the UFC. His devastating KO power has led to seven victories by KO or TKO and is responsible for two KO of the Night awards.

Balancing that power on top his boxing background has manifested his career nicely. Guillard is one of the most respected standup specialists in the division today and has utilized raw size and the instinct to finish to become a true KO practitioner.

Weakness: Submission Defense

As good as Guillard is on his feet, his ground game is anything but special. He's often so powerful and precise standing up, that his opponents opt to take him down and submit him.

Unfortunately for Guillard, more importantly his title hopes, getting submitted is often the case as he's lost every one of his UFC fights via submission.

You'd think his jiu-jitsu game would have evolved by now, but with such success on his feet, Guillard seems content to test the waters in any environment.

11. Jamie Varner

Out of nearly every lightweight fighter on this list, Jamie Varner is one of the most well-rounded. He has one-punch KO power, solid wrestling, capable submissions and a very good chin.

He may have been recently submitted by Joe Lauzon at UFC 149, but that was more or less a product of Lauzon's world-class submission game.

Weakness: Cardio

As of now, maybe not so much in the past, Varner's cardio is becoming suspect. One of the biggest reasons why he lost his bout with Lauzon is because he gassed after just one round.

Varner's pace in the first was very eccentric and allowed him to catch "J-Lau" frequently, but it left him unable to throw power strikes in the second and third.

Going forward, it's going to be interesting to see how Varner handles some of the best athletes in the division. If he happens to ascend the lightweight ladder, he'll probably have issues against pace-pushers like Clay Guida, Frankie Edgar, Nate Diaz and Diego Sanchez.

8. Diego Sanchez

As of earlier this month, Diego Sanchez is coming back to the lightweight division. That automatically makes him a top contender and an immediate bet for a future title shot.

What makes Sanchez such a special talent is his unmatched ability to get in your face and win a fight strictly by pushing the pace. As a former welterweight, Sanchez has the ability to suffocate smaller lightweights and implement his world-class ground and pound.

His past battles with Clay Guida and Joe Stevenson are evident to that and are proof that Sanchez is one of the most unpredictable fighters in the division.

Weakness: Divisional Experience

Sanchez is a very experienced UFC fighter, but his first stint in the lightweight division only lasted three fights.

Two of them were against guys who are no longer part of the division (Joe Stevenson and BJ Penn). The fact of the matter is that Sanchez hasn't really seen a Jim Miller, Donald Cerrone or Gray Maynard before.

It will be interesting to see what kind of splash Sanchez makes the second time around.

6. Joe Lauzon

sports.yahoo.com

Strength: Finishing Ability

After submitting Jamie Varner earlier this month and earning Submission of the Night and Fight of the Night honors, Joe Lauzon can officially be considered the most successful finisher in the division.

Throughout his five-year UFC career, "J-Lau" has finished every one of his nine wins by either KO, TKO or submission. He has captured honors for Submission of the Night six times, Fight of the Night four times and KO of the Night once.

Lauzon has become the epitome of a finisher. He's one of the best gamers at 155 lbs. and never seems to give up on a fight. He has average power in his hands, but possesses solid boxing and elite submissions.

He should have no problem continuing his torrid pace en route to a future title shot.

Weakness: Punching Power

As previously mentioned, Lauzon doesn't possess serious power.

He often has to throw punches in bunches to inflict significant damage on his opponents. Lauzon did KO Jens Pulver in his UFC debut with one punch, but he has only finished Kyle Bradley with strikes since then.

With that said, striking seems to be the only department in which Lauzon is missing strength in. He can pretty much sweep and secure transitions over any lightweight in the division.

5. Anthony Pettis

theflyingkneemma.com

Strength: Excellent Striking

Evident by his wall kick to Benson Henderson's head at WEC 53, Anthony Pettis is one special striker. So much so that he has never been knocked out, and Clay Guida is the only fighter to out-strike Pettis after three rounds (mostly a product of Guida's takedowns).

The fact of the matter is that "Showtime" is as dangerous on his feet as any lightweight has ever been. He has outstanding head kicks, heavy hands, great quickness and an understanding for what to throw and when.

If he can secure yet another KO finish over a divisional contender, Pettis should find himself competing for a title by the end of 2013.

Weakness: Maturity

This may sound like a stretch, but a fighter's maturity is very important in prolonging Octagon success.

Now Pettis is by no means a loose cannon or an unfocused young gun, but at 25 years old, he may not possess the mental magnitude that other elite contenders do.

Over the next year, as he fights another top guy in the division, he should gain a little more experience in the UFC and use that to win fights by game planning, training and making smart decisions.

3. Nate Diaz

Like his brother Nick, Nate Diaz is one of the best trash talkers in the UFC today. The problem for other elite lightweights is that the Californian backs it up at every moment in a fight.

His overall demeanor is sometimes exhausting for his opponents. Diaz's style often leads to fighters throwing caution to the wind and forgetting their own game plans that they had hashed out months before.

He's a street brawler with excellent jiu-jitsu and a guy that will impose his will even when he's losing.

It's a rare combination but one that has led to Diaz being the consensus No. 1 title contender.

Weakness: Wrestling

Diaz is very well-rounded on the ground. His submissions are world-class, and his transitions are often pulled off with ease.

But considering his size and relatively light base, he's always suspect for a takedown.

Throughout his five-year UFC career, Josh Neer and Alvin Robinson are the only opponents Diaz has secured more takedowns than.

Now while takedowns aren't a big part of his offensive game, it's the fact that other wrestlers have had much success against Diaz in that department, which makes it a distinct weakness.